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A host of owners, trainers and breeders are assembled at Gosforth Park for the 2023 Bloodstock SA National Yearling Sale on Friday and Saturday. While the pedigree and conformation experts get a chance to sort the wheat from the chaff, there will be no races in Gauteng this weekend.
Mike de Kock has furnished us with comments for his pair of runners at the Vaal next Tuesday, and we’ll preview the weekend’s meetings at
Scottsville and Kenilworth.
Turnthebeataround (Race 3, 2000m) and Mambo Come Tesio (Race 5, 2000m) will go to post on the classic track at the Vaal. They actually raced against each other in a Work Riders Maiden Plate here just 10 days ago, and Mambo Come Tesio managed to outstay his opposition.
Turnthebeataround ran below expectations and missed the places, but she’s likely to do better against her own sex and Mike said: “Look, she’s no star, but she is better than her last run and we do expect her to win a race for us. There are a few battlers against her, but we haven’t drawn well. I can’t give any confidence for a nose-on bet or for using her as a P/A banker. Turnthebeataround has eachway prospects.”
Mambo Come Tesio looked impressive when he won the mentioned race, but one must keep mind that he competed in a weak field and may have just stayed on better than his rivals over the 1800m. Mike commented: “As I noted before, Mambo Come Tesio is a ‘further-the-better’ horse. He steps up to a handicap and goes over 2000m here, but of course that is no guarantee that he will win. He is still on a handy mark at 73, but we need to see more of him. He’s no more than an eachway bet.”
There is a late autumn meeting at Scottsville on Saturday – the quiet before the storm, because the KZN Champions Season starts soon and already some of the major stables have arrived with their raiders at Summerveld.
The most interesting race on the card is Race 4, a Pinnacle Stakes over 1400m, in which Peter Muscutt’s Quasiforsure returns from a successful Cape spell, in which he finished a close second to Pacaya in the Listed Master Stakes. That, as punters will recall, was a race Quasiforsure would have won if apprentice Joshwin Solomons didn’t drop his hands before the line – an error of judgement that got him a few months on the sideline.
Readers are advised to read Muscutt’s pre-race comments about Quasiforsure – he posts on Facebook on race day mornings. He is always frank and open about his runners and will give an idea of what to expect from his runner. Quasiforsure will have bigger fish to fry later this term, but may well be fit enough to beat this field, since he loves the distance.
Sunday’s Kenilworth programme features eight races and a number of big fields, which makes things more competitive. Dawn Cloud (Race 2), is the first runner to catch the eye. He was scratched for his debut during midweek and trainer Glen Kotzen elected to go for this race instead, presumably because he is drawn a bit better at 10-15. Kotzen is on record saying that Dawn Cloud is “a smart horse that should be competitive”, and his first appearance on the racetrack is awaited with interest.
The G3 Variety Club Mile tops the bill. Last year’s early Durban July favourite Pomp and Power signalled a return to his best form in the Met and his supporters will be watching if he can produce the goods here, after a rest. Bereave (G3 Champagne Stakes) is weighted to confirm the form of his recent win over Rio Querari and Countdown.
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